Guardian
by FreedomOfThinking
Summary: Unfortunate circumstances lead them to crossing paths, but now a choice needs to be made. Will he carry the torch? Will he be the beacon in the darkness that will protect his world and others from the evils that lurk in the dark. Well, if he's going to, he might as well get used to the new voices in his head first. (Massive AU. Aliens, technology and what-not)


**If you do so happen to follow my other works, than I'd like to calmly introduce to you what's taken so long to update the others. This is my new experimental fic, Guardian. Focusing on my love of over the top technology, sci-fi and the Naruto-verse, I've managed to piece together a prologue chapter of a new story, something that I've been toying with for awhile.**

**If this gets any kind of positive response, I'll continue with it, and we can all see where this goes. Aside from that, enjoy the pilot chapter of my new story, Guardian.**

* * *

Holy fucking shit. They were _still_ following me. Apart from the reality bending amount of energy that my sensor equipment could detect behind me, how could I tell such a thing?

Because my impromptu cover got lit up like a fireworks display. And not a fun or entertaining kind of display.

The tree that stood between my pursuers and myself exploded from the hail of hyper focused kinetic particles. The storm of projectiles also slapped against my shields at lightspeed, sending me hurtling across the forest floor. A few trees yielded to my bulk, and my ass crashed through wood and undergrowth like a hot knife through butter.

Mid tumble I managed a somewhat graceless roll in order to get myself back on my feet. Really running out of options here. Most of my defensive equipment was on its last legs, only a powercell or two remaining. My offensive stuff… well I didn't want to draw anyone else's attention to where I was. So only medium to short range options.

But it seemed that I couldn't use the terrain to my advantage. Because there were no densely populated areas for miles, just forest as far as the eye could see.

That meant no hiding among the locals. And with all the super illegal tech on my back I'd probably stick out like a sore thumb anyway. This was a class four garden world after all.

Option B then.

"Stealth us, Blue"

A chipper yet nervous female voice rung softly in my head.

"_The fractal matrix is damaged Kross, I need five minutes to repair it!"_

Four dots blipped into existence on my helmet's radar. Their red color indicated less than friendly intentions.

Option C seemed like the next best choice.

Oh good. They had just stepped within range of one of those medium range options I mentioned earlier.

The small pod launcher on my shoulder complied with the mental order, launching six canisters into the air.

And not a moment too late. My shield was beginning to crack under the rate of fire my hunters were dishing out on me. They never noticed the safely deployed counter measures.

The thumb size canisters would probably get two of them surprise, three if I was lucky. Lady Luck was a sick and twisted bitch. Well for myself at least.

More often than not she'd fuck me over, but I'd gotten used to such things.

The small canisters positioned themselves in a circle around me, above the heads of each of the hunters.

One of the hunters obviously noticed them, as my shields stopped buffering fire from my southern flank.

"BACK UP!" a voice roared, leaping away from the small clearing. With the highly advanced and stolen upgrades I'd made to my Warp Suit, I'd survive this.

A few layers of armor might get chewed up by the corrosive smoke, but I'd be fine. The mist dispersed into the people, and the horrid screams cut away in moments after they began.

What remained of the three Department Trackers would be slopped together into three small pools of liquid. The targeted gas spread throughout the trees, slowly dispersing all material it touched.

At the atomic level, this stuff basically rendered all the connections between matter useless, breaking it down into simple forms. It shaved off all the properties of each atom, using the energy created by the separations to burn through anyone afflicted.

Not the most dignifying death, but it wasn't like I'd bury them or anything. Hell, they'd die knowing that I couldn't steal anymore of their stuff.

However I'd only killed three, and while thankfully it was more than expected, there was a third.

The gas would hold off the last one for a bit, and in this time I'd have to set up a plan.

"Red, how are my optics?"

In contrast to the earlier voice in my head, Red was a lazy and carefree voice, seemingly ambiguous as to its gender.

"_Burned through a few of them. Heat and thermal are being disrupted by something"_

A rare note of irritation had entered his voice.

So there was something about the environment that cut through his sensors.

Damn. That meant a battle of stealth was going to be atrocious. From what I could tell the last bastard that was on my trail still had all of his gear in tact.

Therefore all the standard issue tracking gear.

Fuck.

"Okay Red, I need you to start subletting an orbital feed, on my mark start projecting a Jump coordinate"

Red grunted in affirmation, and the associated commands and data appeared in a small window on my helmets heads up display.

Blue chimed in, worry clear in her voice, "_but that'll be giving your immediate position away! Boss, he'll know where you are!"_

"Exactly" I smirked. With a flick of my wrist, the dark matter storage clicked into place. With what little energy my suit had left, I managed to draw forth a simple combat knife.

It would have to do.

"Blue, I need you to warm up the Flare. Deploy it at the same time as Red preps a Jump cord"

Now this wouldn't be perfect.

In all honesty, I had no way of knowing how my circling shark of an opponent would react.

The gas was keeping him at bay for a few more moments. Tops.

"_Movement!" _Blue's voice wobbled.

"It's alright" I started to slowly move towards the edge of the dissipating cloud, eyes constantly moving.

Any birds that had been in the area had flown away, all of them terrified by the explosions and weapon discharges.

Because of this, my eyes and ears were hyper focused on my surroundings.

The air next to me shimmered.

In hindsight, this extra focus probably saved my life. Many times in my surprisingly long life I'd been on the business end of a kinetic fragmentation rifle. Let me tell you, I've seen in _intimate _detail what those monsters can do to armored units.

Even with a kickass high voltage shield like my own, the natural flight response was immediate. Adrenaline was pumping through my body faster than what my augmentations listed as 'acceptable levels'.

Before Red or Blue could even alert me to the fact that my pursuer had teleported into my face, I felt the burst of rounds unload into my protective layers.

A flash of pain blanketed my shoulder.

My shield kicked in again, taking the full brunt of the attack. However the force behind the surface impacts kicked me off my feet again, sending me skidding back to the center of the space.

"NOW!" I roared, blearily able to see my hopeful assassin approaching. There was confidence in that stride.

Even as the device deployed, and the trackable beacon was issued, I had only one thought in my head. Only one inevitable outcome that needed to be accomplished.

* * *

I'm gonna kill this fucker.

* * *

Amber had been tracking Kross for twelve cycles. If you're not up to date on what cycles are, just understand that it's a long time. Like, the start of a hopeless and bleak career in the hunter core, never once advancing up the ladder because you'd never successfully terminated your mark, long.

Kross has been on the agencies most wanted list for half that time. Amber had been on a series of hunts trying to flush him out, but the slippery bastard managed to weasel his way through it all. Surprise temporal gear, a reality shifter, even a warp stone. The bastard was infamous for having a trick up his sleeve.

Even though his gear and armor looked like a patchwork frankenstein, the man had some cutting edge tech.

Some hot shit.

She'd seen him do things many would consider magic… or at least super experimental hardware. But she knew him. She knew what he did, where he'd sleep, how he operated. So she'd had a close range teleporter installed within her suit.

Of course he would use gas. She hadn't been expecting it, but she'd been watching out for it.

While she hadn't been assigned to every hunt, she'd read toxicology reports on the few corpses that had been returned to head quarters.

He had poison on him. A lot of it.

For the life of anyone in the department, they couldn't figure out where he stored it.

But Amber wasn't thinking about these things right now.

Right now she was thinking of putting a round through his eye at lightspeed.

That jagged helmet with the carved smile looked up at her, jeering as she walked towards him. It was a blank surface, no other external ports or pieces. Smooth.

She imagined his face smiling behind it.

Then there was a flash of light. Amber managed to squeeze off a few shots, and with a rail gun, that equated to over a thousand projectiles.

Her internal A.I screamed something at her. Warning her of something, telling her something, but it hurt so much.

As her vision cleared, the cracked smile of Kross's mask was right in front of her. Face to face.

He'd let off a flare.

And used it to get a blade right between her ribs.

Amber coughed up blood.

"_Miss!" _Indigo wailed.

"_Boss!" _Reginald cried.

"Open the helmet" Amber hissed softly, slumping forward into her killer. He stumbled slightly, as if he couldn't support her weight. The bastard didn't even try to catch her… oh.

She finally saw why.

She'd managed to knick him with her shots.

His left arm was a bloody stump.

* * *

The helmet cut open, the face plate detaching into two pieces and wrapping back around the sides of my hunter's head.

Close cut hair, obviously military, but the angular face was unmistakable. A girl.

"Kross" the girl spat, blood dripping from her lips.

"Open me up Red"

He complied, knowing that no matter what I would speak with this girl. He knew I had a thing about killing girls.

"Hunter" I didn't smile once my helmet was open, the surface of it sliding over the top of my shaved head, "I recognise your suit. You've been after me since I stole this piece of shit" I tapped my Jump core.

My grim expression was the only emotion appropriate for this.

Her features grit and she stumbled. I still hadn't pulled the knife out of her, but I'd released the handle, leaving the blade in her.

She was going to die anyway. And she'd be damned if I gave her any pity.

Even as my arm dripped blood onto the dirt of the forest floor, my attention was only focused on her. I began to lower her to the ground, softly.

Her gun lay only a reach away, forgotten. If it had been any other knife, any other toxin, or any other spot on the body, she'd grab that gun and blow my head off.

But that wouldn't happen.

She was in unimaginable pain right now. Agony fit only for those that forced me into the hunt.

"Got me good. I won't be able to walk this one off so easily"

"Bullshit" she hissed, "you've had worse… Darax 5" she growled, sweat beading on her forehead as she lay back, eyes to the sky.

I sat next to her, one knee brought up to my chest, and my other leg sprawled out flat.

"So that _was _you" I laughed, but it was humourless, "good shot"

She said nothing, the only thing escaping her lips was a crimson cough. I imagined she was confused as to why I did this. Probably some kind of power trip. In actuality, whenever I managed to outwit yet another of my hunters, I took the time to honour their deaths. If I had the chance at least.

The piles of human slush were enough evidence that I didn't always get the opportunity to.

"I've been hunted by you and yours for too long" Kross mumbled, "you'll never stop"

I hadn't been expecting any responses from her. No words. Nothing. My attention was focused entirely on the treeline.

A place between heaven and earth. I didn't feel it, but I saw the movement. Her armored hand had touched my side.

"You… will..."

The arm fell away and she never finished.

I heard the last breath leave her. A soft wheeze.

It was said in hatred. Anger.

I turned my eyes down to her. Still eyes, unmoving, blank. There was no life behind those green orbs.

She was dead.

"I'm sorry"

Silence was my only response.

"Blue, scorch my stump, I don't think the limb is salvageable"

She didn't acknowledge the received order, but I felt the end of my wound begin to burn. Blue had direct control over all the nanobots within my body, and her executive control allowed them to seal off wounds received, even regenerate limbs.

I turned to look for what was left of my arm.

It looked like a kind of paste really, with fragments of metal scattered throughout the gooey substance.

Ew.

"_Definitely not salvageable, but that's not the worst of it" _Red grumbled, "_Boss, I think-"_

"_Y__**o**__u kill__**ed **__h__**er**_"

That was a new voice, but where was it…

Oh Shit.

"_ROGUE!" _Blue practically screamed. The rabbid A.I must have latched on from the hunters systems and transferred to ours. But she had barely made-

The touch.

She had commanded her A.I to attack even as she lay dying.

A dull pain exploded across my body, the burn of it mounting by every second. Blue was fighting the antagonistic A.I, but whatever classification it was, it had taken some serious ground across my connected systems. He was fiddling with my fucking nervous system.

Something hissed loudly, and eventually my world went black.

What a prick.

* * *

_**Konoha, Land of Fire**_

* * *

Naruto Uzumaki was grumpy and hungry. That didn't stop him from leaving his hiding place, but the boy knew that it was getting late and eventually someone would come. Dusk was settling across the village, and the fire works would be happening soon.

He knew that he wouldn't be trapped here all night, but a part of him couldn't help but worry regardless.

Even though the weird masked Ninjas seemed to like waiting until the last minute to help out, or if he was really in over his head, he couldn't help it.

Those assholes as long since run off, but Naruto wasn't about to risk it. People always got so wroudy and aggressive on his birthday. It wasn't like it was his fault! They all seemed to ignore him anyway. Now he was stuck in the really creepy forest, trying to avoid a pack of villagers dead set on ruining his night.

And not that he was!

Or that he might be!

But…

Well the forest was scary.

'Some Hokage I'll be' he grumbled to himself, knees pressed against his chest as he remained cramped within the tree trunk.

All he wanted was a nice bowl of Ramen from Teuchi-jiji, but apparently the October festival wasn't a good time for little boys to be outside.

Sometimes the villagers were so stupid!

Did they enjoy pissing him off and getting pranked in return?

Naruto grumbled again.

The forest of death was oddly quiet for once, and after hurdling the fence and entering the first 10 meters of the tree line, Naruto supposed that he should have been paying attention to such details.

Iruka-sensei always said things about a Shinobi's senses being their deadliest weapon.

And Naruto knew that the silence in the forest was weird. Even though he wasn't around any of the Bear or Monkey territory there still should be some of the more adventurous ones. The giant spiders never ventured close to the village, and the tigers never liked being up this late, but every now and then they'd come looking for a late night kill.

After all, Naruto had brought the old Kunai he'd found on the street for a reason. But aside from the deadlier tenants of the forest why were there no birds? No chittering of insects?

Something was-

There.

Naruto's ears twitched slightly as a noise got his attention.

It was soft, but it was the only sound he could hear properly. It was a repetitive sound, but not in perfect beat, a _pat pat_. He had to strain his eyes, trying to blot out the softness of his breath, and the tumbles and turns of the wind just to pick it up.

It sounded so….

Naruto closed his eyes in thought, focusing on the noise.

_Pat. Pat._

_Pat. Pat._

Oh!

He'd heard that noise before. That was the sound of footsteps! Boots in mud! He'd heard it before when the weird snake lady caught him on the edge of the forest all those months ago.

She wore thick boots.

But while the noise was _similar, _it wasn't the same. Because these were deeper, the boot falls were…

Heavier?

Did Shinobi wear such heavy things? Naruto had his eyes on a new pair of sandals the day Iruka-sensei finally recognised his awesomeness, and he knew they were light weight.

So who was this?

Maybe a special shinobi! Like Weasel-san! She was super famous, and had different Kunai!

The excitement got the best of him.

Even though there was a slight tinge of fear cutting through him, the blonde peaked his head up, looking through the little hole he'd managed to squeeze through.

His heart rate exploded in his chest. It looked like a man covered in metal, but it walked like… like a _zombie!_

Naruto's eyes went wide as he studied it as it jerkily moved across the forest floor. He had only scaled up one of the thicker trees about 10 meters up, so he should be safe from the metal zombie.

And it was covered in metal. It almost looked like, armor. Strange protrusions, tubular in shape, poked off the shoulders and back, only a few inches in length and width.

It's head was smooth metal, curved around it perfectly. Naruto couldn't see the face from here, but it didn't have any ears or hair.

The back was shaped kind of like a… turtle shell? No, not really, but it didn't look like any normal shinobi armor. Hell, it didn't even look like the samurai from the books Iruka sensei gave them. Even if the-

Naruto noticed how it was missing an arm. It looked like it had been cut clean off!

'It was a zombie! It must have had its arm bit clean off by another zombie, before it turned into one!'

The noise was its heavy metal boots that were held stationary in the dirt and mud of the forest floor. After all, it had been raining recently.

Naruto looked and the grooves and cuts on the non-moving metal legs of the weird metal-zombie.

Hokage-ji-ji would have to send some strong ninja if he wanted to deal with this thing. Maybe even Dog-san!

He'd be good!

In fact-

Naruto felt a chill go up his back. Even as his focus on the thing slowly drifted up it. It wasn't moving anymore.

He was staring at the waist and torso now.

Why wasn't it moving?

The chest and neck.

Naruto squeaked and ducked his head back into the hole. It had been staring at him! The metal zombie was looking at him! It didn't have _eyes! _Only a weird, cracked smile. Oh it was so scary. It was really scary, hopefully it didn't see him. How could it even see him if it didn't have eyes?

There was nothing to worry about, nothing at all.

In fact, Naruto was sure it'd just walk right along. It had been pretty far away after all, and with no eyes, there was no way it could have noticed him looking.

"**Well hello there"**

Naruto screamed as he was pulled out from the tree. In his fear, his chakra pulsed wildly.

* * *

_**A few minutes prior**_

* * *

For someone with a mountains worth of chakra, Naruto Uzumaki was devilishly hard to find. Not only did he have a track record for single most escapes from the academy lessons since the inception of the shinobi academy, but he was known village wide for being difficult to catch for the pranks he played.

The Jonin in the village had wanted to list him as D-rank mission at least, so they could be paid for the endless hours it took to finally route the blonde out.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the current Hokage of Konoha, God of Shinobi, had a large soft spot for the energetic blonde, and thus the mission status had never been granted.

Many had theorized that it was because the blonde reminded the old Kage of himself when he was younger. The majority of people that had known the Third Hokage in his youth were no longer around, and those that still remained refused to comment on such childish things.

But Weasel wasn't worried about all that right now.

Herself and Rat, one of the foremost sensors had failed to locate the Uzumaki within the village.

She knew all of his hideouts, all of his hidden locations, and all the safe spaces he frequented. It wasn't as if they needed to bring him in, but during festival hours they needed to check on him occasionally, just to confirm his presence.

She was perched on the Hokage monument, while Rat sat a few feet away with his legs crossed, a single hand sign held in the air.

He was combing the village again. This would be their third check, and after this they needed to make a report to the Hokage saying they could not find the Jinchuuriki.

That would shift the village up to an alert status, the gates would be closed, and people visiting the village for the duration of the festival would have their identities checked.

The air shifted.

"Weasel, Rat"

"Taichou" Weasel responded, while Rat grunted softly, still scanning. Dog stood alongside her, his gaze on the village as well.

"Anything?"

"Two scans of the village proper, no results" Weasel replied.

'_We fear the worst_' was unsaid, but they all knew it. Weasel would never admit it, but the small part of her that actually expressed her worst of fears was beginning to warm up.

This couldn't be happening, especially on their shift, with two Uchiha in the squad, the council would be crowing for blood if things got out of hand.

And relations were already tense enough as-

Rat's chakra fluttered and the thin man stiffened, getting the attention of both ANBU.

"Found him" he stood up, "forest of death"

He vanished.

The other two ANBU followed close behind. Dog summoned his tracker ninken as they moved full pelt between the trees.

One of the hounds peeled off from the group. It would inform the Hokage.

'We're coming Uzumaki' Weasel thought to herself.

* * *

_**Autimated suit, Forest of Death**_

* * *

He'd been scared, but a light injection of chemicals had rendered the boy unconscious. For the operation, it helped if they were asleep.

Red had scanned the boy using the autopilot suit and had found enough compatibilities to consider the boy an optimal transfer.

Kross had been severely injured by the A.I intrusion, and Red hated to admit this, but the situation wasn't looking good.

The Rogue A.I had weaponised some of his body's nanotech, turning it against his own cells. While Blue and Red had worked in tandem to contain it, the damage had been done.

Kross was dying.

Slowly.

Of course it was slowly.

That hunter bitch had wanted him to suffer.

Red growled, turning the hollow suit around and placing the diagnostic tools back in the containment shell.

He recalled when the situation had finally sunk in.

With Kross mortally injured, the Mission Priorities had kicked in almost instantly after Red and Blue had thwarted the attack.

Kross had set these priorities, in case he ever fell in battle and the suit managed to survive. Red and Blue had never hoped for this day to come, but the back ups were there for a reason. Most people that came into contact with Jump technology failed to hold onto it for too long anyway.

Especially if you stole an Alpha suit. But of course Kross hadn't just stolen any Alpha suit, but one that carried-

Red's core fizzled. He wasn't supposed to think about it. Kross had ordered that.

And so the mission was maintained.

**Priority 1: **_**[Classified]**_

**Priority 2: Maintain Battle Effectiveness**

**Priority 3: Defend the Operator**

This meant Blue had remained behind, tending for Kross in his final days, weeks, or months, while Red was responsible for upholding Priority 1 and 2.

The suit was damaged, the operator was dying, and while stranded on a foreign world and dimension, Red and Blue needed a new Operator.

So he'd set out toward the nearest population center.

This one had been the largest, meaning that Red would be able to find anyone that could easily have gone missing, and no one would notice.

A boy stranded in a tree in the middle of a deadly forest?

If A.I's believed in luck, Red would say he, Blue and Kross were blessed with it.

Not only had they found a perfect candidate within the first few hours of operational effectiveness, but a candidate that shouldn't pose any problem if they were abducted.

Normally this would take a few days at least, perhaps weeks, but Kross would call this luck.

'_But that's not true, since your creator is dying in a dirty cave_' Red growled to himself as he brought the next set of surgical tools to the boys neck.

Once the interface was installed the boy would be ready for transport.

Luck wasn't real. It was the false concept that humans constructed to satisfy a justification for a beneficial outcome. Statistics, odds, that's what Red believed in.

The suit's sensors detected movement.

Red continued with the process, slowly sealing the back of the boy's neck with the gel stick, but he started devoting extra power to his observation technology.

While there were some life signs within the present location, the three that had just entered were definitely human. The sensors flared again. Seven more life signs had approached as well, but they were smaller beings, animal sized.

Dogs. And based on their arrangement, probably trackers. But that would mean they have an objective.

The thermal sensors detected that the humans were up in the trees, near the canopy. For now they were watching.

It was a primitive world after all, so they were probably confused about what was happening. But Red also realised something else. They must be looking for the boy. There was no way they had noticed the suit. It gave off no energy readings, and any chance of long range detection was blocked through the jamming technology.

This planet had barely discovered radio waves, so they were not here for the suit.

'The boy _had _been hiding in a tree'

Perhaps he was hiding from the three humans? Or were they a retrieval unit?

"**Process complete" **the suit echoed out, and the boys body jolted as the uplink was made.

The beings in the trees began to move slowly. They didn't know the suit's technology had detected them.

Red began scanning his non-lethal countermeasures.

….

Kross didn't carry many.

* * *

_**Konoha ANBU, in the trees**_

* * *

'What the fuck is that' Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the strange, one armed metal body. Rat had informed them that aside from Naruto, nothing in the clearing had been giving off a chakra signature.

There were no other ninja.

But the one armed metal... being, currently had their Jinchuuriki face down in the forest floor. Kakashi could still see the rise and fall of Naruto's chest, letting him know that the boy was definitely still alive, but it was cutting a hole in the back of his neck.

Weasel signed towards him.

_Orders?_

Kakashi studied the situation. It was performing some kind of surgery. Even from so far away Kakashi could see that the tools being used were nothing he could place at any hospital, but the application of them was fairly similar.

As an ANBU operative, he'd had his fair number of times in a hospital, and he knew whatever was being used on the blond was nothing of the kind.

But it did appear to be surgery.

On a very sensitive part of the body as well. If they revealed themselves to the metal being, it might terminate the boy either intentionally or accidentally.

Fuck.

Kakashi signed to Rat and Weasel.

_Move into strike range. Hold position until confirmed as hostile_

The others confirmed his order, each preparing to move down the trees. Suddenly the metal thing stood up, tossing a strange metal circle down on the Jinchuuriki's body.

A golden light appeared from the disk shaped thing, blanketing the body.

A seal?

Kakashi flickered towards the forest floor, sword drawn and legs apart in a combat stance. His sword was held aloft, but ready to strike.

The carved face of the metal thing was looking right at him. Kakashi realised now it was fashioned to look like a macabre smile, jagged and terrifying.

"You are currently within-"

"**Language detected. Translating" **the strange noises and tones came from the metal thing, and out of the corner of his vision, Kakashi could see Rat and Weasel also stiffen up on their approach.

What had it just said?"

"**Translation com**plete, greetings primitive lifeform"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. Primitive lifeform? It had adjusted its speech pattern in order to communicate with them. The silver haired ninja decided to follow regular ANBU conventions, sticking to the use of old ANBU operational code.

"Who are you? State your intentions!"

The meaning of this demand could be translated to "_prepare to strike, aim to kill"_

Kakashi could tell the others received the order by their sudden stillness. They were ready, and in place.

If this… _thing_ actually identified itself, and as a foreign shinobi, it would be killed. The suit shifted slightly. The black front of its face, where the scarred dome gazed upon him shifted. A dull crimson glow appeared in the face, almost like eyes.

The voice that came out next was different. It sounded like a man, but Kakashi could also hazard a guess as to it being a woman as well.

"I am Red, weapons and defensive component for Operator Kross Kincaid. I am currently fulfilling my mission directives, Priority 1 and 2. Who are you?"

"A ninja of Konoha, one of its protectors" again, Kakashi held the conversation, still refusing to give the strike order. His message translated to his team as "_hold position, status unclear" _

The red glow remained, and Kakashi had the strangest moment of feeling as if he was being studied.

The armored thing spoke again, bowing as it did.

"An honor to meet you, Ninja of Konoha" it raised itself up right, "will your colleagues be joining us? It appears they have hostile intentions"

The red seemed to glow brighter. Kakashi shited his stance. Weasel and Rat didn't move, but they knew they had been outed. The silver haired ANBU could feel their chakra being released into the air.

They had no more reason to hide.

But he still did not give the order, instead continuing to speak with the thing. If anything, Kakashi knew that he was buying time for the reinforcements that the Third Hokage was more than certainly sending.

"We wish to return the boy home"

The metal man looked down to the body covered in golden light, "he has been selected, that cannot be allowed"

There was an edge to his words. Something a little harder in the tone than what Kakashi had picked up on.

They were at an impasse, and the ANBU operative saw the one way out.

"Then come with us, there can be a peaceful resolution to this"

"_Strike now, do not hesitate"_

And even though both knew they had been discovered, the two ANBU struck, one with blades tempered with wind chakra, the other with lightning and power.

Kakashi also moved forward, sword ready to behead the individual.

A wave of blue electricity flickered over the metal body, and just as they reached it, the mechanical form disappeared.

All three ANBU struck the air, each of them barely avoiding their weapons from hitting one another.

The silver haired ANBU was already moving to the next point, spinning back and facing the forest.

"Get the boy!" Kakashi stepped away from them, his mind already running through whatever Jutsu the thing had used. Weasel shifted into a defensive position alongside him. Rat moved to secure the Jinchuuriki.

Their opponent was fast.

Very fast.

Rat had reached the still form of Naruto, his hands stopping before he made contact with the shield.

The seal seemed complex in origin, and the transportation technique seemed to be lightning in nature, so this could be Kumo-

"**Priority One: compromised**" the voice came from all around them, something that didn't sit well with Kakashi.

Genjutsu?

No, he would have felt something, so would have Weasel.

A soft whine echoed from the trees, and Kakashi felt Weasel barrel into him long before he noticed her moving. She did have good instincts. In the end, she probably saved his life.

The whine reached a pitch, and Kakashi saw Rat, standing defensively over Naruto's body-

In an instant, the ANBU was _shredded _into a cascade of blood and chunks of gore. He watched as his comrade was turned into a diced mist of flesh and crimson liquid.

'What the fuck'

Weasel rolled away, Kunai ready and Sharingan eyes spinning. Kakashi focused as much chakra as he dared into his own sharingan, taking in his surroundings, trying to locate his enemy.

"**Priority One: Secured" **the slight flicker of electric blue slashed over the air, and above the covered form of Naruto now layered with the _remains _of Rat, the metal thing appeared.

Held in the grasp of the only remaining arm was a strange metallic but white colored object. It was elongated, with a small rectangle that rested one third down its length. Kakashi could clearly note a handle, which was obviously designed for a hand to hold.

The light bit of smoke coming from its… barrel…

It was a weapon. That was what killed Rat.

In the next second, the helmet once again glowed with two red specks, and the voice changed from that toneless bass.

"_Rerouting" _the red eyes returned and flickered, looking towards Kakashi, "_apologies"_

And the weapon disappeared.

The hand reached down to Naruto, still asleep against the forest floor. Only three seconds had passed, but the dog masked ANBU acted on the fourth.

He would not be cowed by this strange technology.

"_**Raikiri!**_"

He got within a foot of them before Kakashi realised something. Something that would haunt him until the day Naruto finally returned to the leaf village.

He was too slow.

Before the killing blow could reach the thing, both it and Naruto vanished in a stronger flicker of static blue electricity.

Kakashi's attack wrended the air, slicing through nothing. Killing none, and saving no one.

The silence of the area was the first thing he noticed over the pumping of his blood. The adrenaline slowly seeping from his body.

His knees hit the ground before he realised he was falling.

Naruto was gone.

Weasel had remained where she stood, desperately sensing for where the enemy had gone.

But to no success.

In the next few minutes, the forest was flooded with ninja. The Hokage himself with his guard, all in full battle attire.

They would arrive to find a maskless Kakashi focused on the floor, where pieces of his teammate lay scattered.

The debrief would be held in the Hokage tower.

Inoichi, of the Yamanaka clan, would personally comb through Kakashi's memories, confirming the validity of the claims that the silver haired man would make to the Kage. Weasel's testimony and subsequent memories would further the information, but ultimately, they would discover nothing.

They could assume who did it. Why they did it. Or even where Naruto was. Tracking ninja's would be sent out, only to return days later empty handed.

A bounty would be put out for this 'metal being'.

And Naruto Uzumaki would be listed as missing.

* * *

_**Temporary base of operations, Land of Fire**_

* * *

When the blonde haired, blue eyed boy had awoken, it had been comical to say the least. Firstly, the boy didn't seem capable of sleeping in a single still position. After a few moments of moving around he had fallen out of the small cot that Red had placed him in.

Upon striking the stone floor of the illuminated cave, the boy had bolted upright, his gaze fearful for only a moment.

His eyes rested on me for a second, before shifting over to the still metal suit that stood quietly beside me. Once those blue orbs reached my Jumpsuit, an anger took over the boys face. It was quite funny to see the little boy march up to the stationary metal and begin berating it.

"You stupid hunk of _stupidly _stupid metal!" he blabbered, his brain coming up with the meanest words he could, "you scared me really bad, dumb metal zombie!"

He kicked the leg of the suit, getting a loud clang in response.

His face twisted up a second later and the boy hopped away, cursing under his breath. I did see a few tears well up in his eyes, but it was expected. That had been a fairly hard kick after all.

I chuckled softly at this.

It was like looking into a mirror.

At this point the boy finally noticed me, his body slowly twisting to face me as he took in the room.

Blue had unsealed all my staging equipment. With the Jump Drive damaged, we'd be on this planet for a long time, so until then this would be our home.

Fabricators for technology to be made, energy conductors to charge equipment, and all my storage.

All the goodies I'd managed to… legally acquire, throughout my travels.

"Hm" the boy stepped closer to me, "who are you? Where are we?" before even getting a chance to answer, his eyes went wide at my lack of an arm.

"EH!? Mister! Your arm is gone!"

With a look of false confusion that I plastered all over my face, I turned to stare at the missing limb.

* * *

He was seated on a small metal stool. His clothes looked weird.

Well, it was like he was wearing only one piece of clothing. A black suit that stretched over his entire form.

The blonde boy could see that this guy was really strong, even if he looked really old.

"Hm" Naruto stepped closer, "who are you? Where are we?" the Uzumaki studied the man, really confused about-

HOLY COW!

He only had one arm!

"EH!?" Mister! Your arm is gone!"

Naruto watched as the green eyed man with the shaved head turned to look at where his arm _should _have been.

"Huh… must have lost it" he said with a soft voice, his confusion apparent.

"LOST IT?!" Naruto flipped out, before his eyes narrowed "how can you lose an arm, mister?"

The man smiled, revealing a full set of white teeth with purple canines, "it has a mind of its own, like my armour"

The metal suit moved a step forward, and Naruto squeaked, taking more than a few steps back.

In response, the man started to guffaw, laughing deep and loud. This got a soft blush from the small Uzumaki boy.

"That was mean. You shouldn't use your metal zombie to scare me!"

"_It's not a zombie, idiot boy!" _a figure of a man constructed of fire and flame appeared before them both. Naruto didn't notice that the old man failed to react to this apparition, because he was too busy freaking out about the-

"GHOST!"

"_Oh for the love of-_"

"Mister! We need to leave! This place is haunted!"

The old man could only watch Naruto with a small smile on his face. The boy's first instinct had been to help him. How quaint.

"It's alright Red, let me speak with the child"

The boy watched with wide eyes as the fiery A.I flickered away. Well, the Ghost flickered away.

Before the man could speak the boy already had another question lined up, "That's your ghost old man?! Is he nice?"

'What an inquisitive boy. He has yet to ask to leave, or go home. Perhaps he is…?' Kross held those thoughts back for now, knowing that he wished to convince the boy first.

Otherwise, he'd have to do this the hard way.

"Very. He takes good care of me. His name is Red"

Red snorted but didn't appear.

The blond boy looked up at Kross in awe, his eyes wide before he looked around the room, "nice to meet you Red-san!"

"Perhaps an introductions are in order?"

The blonde turned to focus on the old man, grinning sheepishly, "oh, sorry mister" he rubbed the back of his head slightly before standing straight, "my name is Uzumaki Naruto, the coolest future Hokage of Konoha, nice to meet ya!"

He stuck his small hand out for a shake, the same smile still on his features.

"Future Hokage you say? How ambitious of you" Kross smiled at the kid again, and Blue began to regale information to him through the neural link.

She'd deployed the few scouting drones they had left once Kross had been incapacitated. Information was crucial, especially since not much of this world was known on the official records.

The drones had managed to piece together a base understanding, but more information was being collected as they spoke.

"You betcha mister!" the toothy grin was adorable, and it almost made Kross guilty for what he was going to do.

"Well Naruto, my name is Kross Kincaid, and I am a traveler from a far away land"

The boy shifted slightly, his once friendly gaze shifting to worry.

"So... you don't work for the old man?"

Kross shook his head in the negative, and the boy back peddled slightly. He was slowly beginning to realise the situation.

He had been taken against his will.

But old man didn't let the boy stew in silence. This was where he needed to convince the boy. As he had been convinced.

"I have brought you here because I need your help Naruto"

This held the boys attention for a single moment, and disconnecting from the life support systems he was attached to, Kross stood.

A grimace crossed his face as he walked past the now on-edge Naruto.

"You need… my help?" the boy asked, obviously unsure of the man's words.

"Indeed. That was why my armor brought you here" he didn't turn to speak at the boy, but kept walking to the lip of the cave. Naruto noticed it to and after a moment slowly followed behind the man.

He was curious, but obviously wary.

"Why do you need _my_ help?" he looked up at the taller man, his gaze narrowed.

Instead of answering, Kross posed his own question.

"Do you know where we are child?"

He stopped at the exit to the cave. They had found a mountain range to operate from, and it was far from the location where the boy had been taken.

The boy took a moment before responding.

"The land of fire"

"Good" Kross smiled at him, "and what is beyond the land of fire?"

Naruto tilted his head slightly, looking up at Kross for a moment as he stood beside him, his gaze focused on the outside world.

Eventually he came to his answer.

"The elemental nations?"

Kross grinned, "and beyond that?"

The boy frowned, "There's nothing"

"Really?" Kross crouched down, ignoring the spike of pain from his spine as he brought himself eye level to the now curious boy, "beyond the sky? You believe there is nothing?"

The boy remained silent.

"If I told you that far away from here, past the sky, beyond the stars, there was another place just like here, with people, animals, families, trees, buildings…" Kross smiled softly, "what would you say?"

"That you're crazy" Naruto mumbled honestly, still confused by the strange old man.

"And if could prove this to you, right now... would you let me?"

The blonde crossed his arms with a raised eyebrow, "I suppose"

Kross stood.

"Let me show you another world boy" the man held his hand out to the boy. In the end, this was the same way that the man before Kross had _recruited _him. Because for the human race, curiosity was an irresistible urge.

The need to ask questions, to discover, to learn. It was hard wired into all of them.

In children, humans were born curious, with wonder and awe at everything knew they discovered.

It was exactly why the boy had proven a perfect choice.

Even if he was important in his village, Kross assumed the child was an orphan. Alone, away from those that could ignite his curiosity, or even surrounded by those that outright denied it.

Naruto stared at the outstretched limb. A debate was going on within the boy, the fear of what the man was saying, and the possibility of the truth.

It was an intoxicating feeling.

The leap of faith.

Slowly, but surely, the boy grasped the man's hand.

Blue engaged the simulation as soon as it happened, tapping into the newly installed neural link in the boy's neck.

Even as the world shifted beneath their feet, even as everything fell away and reality changed, Kross held the boy's hand firmly.

The blonde was panicking, fearful of what was happening, the colors and smells that were being created terrified him.

"It's alright," Kross smiled, his voice being imposed over the simulation and dragging the blonde's attention to him, "I won't let anything hurt you boy"

"W-w-what's happening?" Naruto stuttered, the fear of this strange experience getting to him.

And eventually the world reformed. The shift settled.

They were standing on a building overlooking a street. Many more buildings stood around them, some towering above others, some that even pierced the clouds.

"We're in a memory of mine, a world I haven't visited in a long time" Kross smiled fondly, slowly pulling the boy to the edge of the building.

The boy was gripping his hand tightly, and the boy had his feet planted firmly on the ground. Kross squeezed the hand softly, "it's alright child, we're only in a memory. Nothing here can hurt you" he tugged the arm gently, "come and look"

At the edge of the building they stood, watching the hundreds of thousands of people walk the streets.

Strange clothes and people that consisted of a rainbow of bright colors. Kross grinned softly at the boys now wide eyes.

Ships and planes flew through the skies, following unseen lanes of traffic and directions that could not be observed.

"What are those?" the blonde child asked in wonder, pointing up at the vehicles with awe and wonder coating every word.

"Ships. Vehicles. Spacecraft. Inventions that allowed my people to travel the stars… and further"

The boy gasped softly, watching the advanced world as it moved, never stopping. But eventually, his eyes turned to Kross.

"You're people?" the boy wondered, "you're from this... " he struggled for a second, "other world?"

"Indeed little one" Kross smiled "and it was beautiful"

Everything changed in an instant. A large explosion ripped through a building. Dark shapes fell from the sky. Chaos existed now, slashing through the serene calm of the alien society.

Naruto screamed, and Kross felt bad for the child.

Even as the first few moments of the war began, he knew seeing further would be too much for the boy. He'd ease him into it eventually. But for now Kross sent a mental nudge to the friendlier A.I.

Blue ended the simulation.

The boy was shivering and frightened. His eyes were locked on the where the building had been. The one that had been struck first. It had been minutes before the _real_ invasion, but the shock and awe tactics of the enemy… well they were effective, even when they were dulled down for a simulation.

Blue eyes blinked up at the man, wide and afraid.

"What was that?"

"Why I need your help" Kross said seriously, breaking away from the boy's grip, once again bending down to look him in the eye.

"How…" he grasped for words, still shaken from the experience, "how could I do anything to stop that?"

Kross sighed, "not stop it. That has already happened. My world is gone now and only ash remains. What I do now, is to make sure it never has to happen to another world again"

And Kross knew what that would do to the boy. He'd be imagining his home, and the dark ships falling upon his village, tearing it all apart.

Death. Destruction. War.

In the end, he still wasn't sure. He had more questions.

"But why me? Why not… anyone else?"

Kross's answer was instant, "it doesn't matter who takes up this responsibility. It merely matters that someone can carry the means and the _will _to do what is right. To protect life. If you feel that you cannot do this, I must find another"

"So I'd help you?"

Kross shook his head, "when I arrived here, I was wounded. I made a mistake and it will cost me my life, eventually" he walked back into the cave, passing the strange technology that Naruto had ignored at first glance.

"Eventually?"

"My days are numbered child, and I must pass on what I know, what I carry, before I leave this life"

He understood, even as he looked horrified. The man before him had just admitted he was dying after all!

However, doubt still remained.

"My home…"

Kross turned on the boy, who jumped back at the ferocity on the mans face.

"Do you think anything you could learn, and ability that your primitive race knows, could prevent your world from _burning? _Could your precious Hokage stop the heavens from falling upon you!?"

Naruto's mouth moved, but no words came out.

He wanted to defend his leader, the old man that cared for him, the masked ninja's that looked out for him… how strong they were!

But…

But the death he had just seen. How these strange but powerful people had died so quickly…

No. Hokage-ji-ji had always told him that there was always someone out there who was stronger. And sure, he had meant the elemental nations… but if something came from the skies? Something stronger than anyone on his _world_.

"I'm sorry"

The apology caught Naruto off guard, even as the old man settled back onto his little stool. Cords and cables connected to him, flickering lights illuminating their length.

He looked tired.

Tired and worn, just like the times when Naruto asked Hokage-jiji about his father. For stories or details about his dad. Who he was, what kind of a shinobi he was...

Kross was speaking again.

"That was harsh. But true. You're people couldn't stand against even the weakest of monsters that roam the blackness of space, the darkness between the stars… and before I die, someone must take the torch"

Kross looked to the tech that surrounded them.

"Using what I have, I could improve you. Help you. Teach you. Train you. I could prepare you for the horrors that live out there. In exchange I ask that you carry my burden"

Naruto began to understand exactly what Kross was saying.

The promise he would be making.

"Would I ever be allowed to return home?"

Kross was silent for a few moments.

"In time"

And like that, a fire was lit in the eyes of the boy.

"I'll do it" he stood as tall as he could, his blue eyes practically glowing as he stared into the soft green of Kross's.

"Why?" Kross had to ask. His mentor had done the same to him.

"Because of… of life! Life is important, and if there are big bad monsters out there Kross-sensei! I'll fight them all, I'll get strong enough to fight them all, and I'll keep my world… my _home_, safe!"

Passion, conviction, assurance. But most importantly, belief.

Naruto's head cocked sideways, and he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head with one hand.

"I mean, if I can protect the whole world…! Then becoming Hokage would be a piece of cake!"

Memories flooded into Kross's head unwillingly. Another young boy, a face smiling at him from so long ago.

The memories stung, but at the same time, gave the old man hope.

"Kross-sensei? Are you crying?"

Startling the boy slightly, the man from another world snorted loudly, wiping a tear away as he refocused his gaze on the child.

"Thank you" Kross bowed his head at the boy, "we should rest up now, go wash and eat. We can begin tomorrow"

The boy nodded, and Blue appeared next to them both in a swirl of waves and projected water.

"_Hello young student, I-"_

"AHH! ANOTHER GHOST!"

Kross laughed.

* * *

_**Konoha, Emergency Council Chamber**_

* * *

Fugaku Uchiha appeared to sit calmly within the council chambers. Underneath the collected and professional demeanor lay a boil of harsh and vindictive emotion.

Tenzen Uchiha had been killed on duty just outside of Konoha Proper, but still within village territory.

As the earliest of reports had confirmed, there hadn't even been a body to recover.

Fugaku knew that the man had been apart of the Jinchuuriki's protection detail, the ones that maintained overwatch over the little hellion. And now that Konoha's Jinchuuriki had gone missing under his watch, he was ready to go to bat against the village to defend his clan.

An abduction of a Jinchuuriki and all members of the team possessed the Sharingan? No, the other clans and the civilians wouldn't take this sitting down.

Fugaku knew that the Uchiha elders were on a tight leash of his own creation, therefore he was assured of the fact that his clan had nothing to do with this incident.

But the others?

They'd overlook the death and get right to the crux of losing the village's most powerful weapon.

A part of him even wished that Kakashi Hatake, the thief, had lost his life instead.

The ninja that waltzed around with the eye of his clan infuriated him, but of this current moment, he had once again dodged the shinigami.

The other clan heads were scrutinizing him, each of them focused on him in their own subtle ways.

'Honestly' Fugaku scoffed internally as he kept his head held high, 'the Hyuuga might as well turn his Byakugan on'

Hiashi was practically transparent with his observation of the Uchiha clan head. Probably trying to intimidate him somehow.

As Shikaku Nara always said, how tiresome. The politics of the leaf village always wound down to being dull and boring. But while nothing changed drastically in the political landscape, Fugaku was not blind to the slow distrust that the village had been feeling towards the Uchiha.

Perhaps this same feeling was also linked to the sudden change of the council chambers? Fugaku would admit to a few pieces of paranoia taking hold, but when Danzo Shimura looked happy, well as happy as a man like that could be, he tended to feel some worry.

The warhawk was seated in his regular position, two seats to the right of Hiruzen Sarutobi's chair.

But the three seats for the Kage of the village and his two advisors was still absent. Where were they?

The large hall of the council had been forgone for this emergency meeting, and Fugaku was slowly beginning to notice after his haste to remain seated that almost all the chairs were already filled.

…

There were no civilians currently present, and of the many civilian clans that should attend-

Well there simply wasn't enough space for them.

'So this is a shinobi matter'

The doors opened, drawing the eye and attention of every Shinobi as a weary Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped through, flanked on either side by Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.

'He looks so tired'

The ANBU guard shut the doors behind the Kage, each taking a position around the room as Hiruzen slowly made his way to his seat. His pace seemed careless, slow. He acted every bit his age.

Fugaku had seen this man stand for the weak, protect the innocent and defend the village from all threats. Domestic or foreign, Hiruzen Sarutobi protected his people from danger.

But now? He looked like an old man, broken and weary.

The Hokage's hat hung low across his face, the grim frown of the god of Shinobi keying everyone in that this would not be a pleasant meeting.

Sarutobi slowly seated himself, and the stone cold faces of his advisors both shifted to look at him briefly.

There was a question that hung between them, of which Fugaku and everyone else in the room could only guess. They disagreed on what Hiruzen wished to share with them.

And if the meeting couldn't get any stranger, an ANBU placed Hiruzen's pipe and tobacco box on the table.

The old man lazily opened the box with the tips of his fingers and began to pack the pipe.

No one said a word. Many exchanged glances with one another. Fugaku took the time to quickly study Danzo, and was relieved to notice that the man was no longer so obviously pleased with himself. His face was drawn and eye narrowed.

He didn't know what this was about either.

"As you are all aware..." Hiruzen began softly, bringing the pipe to his lips and casting a small flame from his finger to light the tobacco.

He blew out a cloud of smoke into the air, before taking a few smaller puffs from the tool.

"...the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki has been taken from right under our noses" He held the pipe languidly, his gaze still hidden from under his hat.

"And Uchiha Tenzen sacrificed his life trying to protect the Jinchuuriki" his eyes darted up to Fugaku, "before I tell you all why I've brought you all here, Uchiha-dono"

Fugaku wanted to tear his eyes away from the somber gaze of Hiruzen, the grief in them being far to potent for a man so respected and honored to be capable of expressing.

But it was for those reasons that he did not look away.

"Hai, Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen sighed, his eyes becoming downcast once more, the lip of the hat hiding his emotion. He was emotionally compromised, and he obviously did not want to project his feelings so openly to the council, but obviously the situation was serious enough for him to overlook such considerations.

"Elder Kagami was a good friend of mine. His grandson died honourably… please tell him this"

Fugaku stiffened, but nodded anyway, "Hai, Hokage-sama"

Hiruzen went back to his pipe for a few moments, requiring the comfort of the tobacco. The air was filled with another layer of smoke.

"Hiruzen" Danzo spoke, not comfortable with his rival being so quiet and moody, "what is wrong"

Everyone glanced towards the man, eyeballing him for his callous and tactless words, but they were also just as curious.

Hizruen slumped back into his chair, and in the dimly lit room, most could still see the single tear that traced down his cheek.

Many gasped quietly. Most shifted in their seats.

Koharu and Homura were stone faced, eyes focused on the people of the room.

"The Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tailed Bijuu has been listed as missing. He is presumed dying or dead, and I have brought us all together to reveal the identity of the child"

Everyone sat forward as Hiruzen did, pushing the hat up so the old man could look in the faces of everyone.

"Uzumaki Naruto"

Many people waited to see if Hiruzen would say more, if he would give them anything else. But the man moved to his pipe again, his attention on the nicotine.

A short gasp drew Fugaku's attention. It seemed that the small shock that the Nara clan head had received had drawn everyone's focus.

The Nara directed a firm gaze towards their Kage, ignoring all the confused stares around him. He obviously had deduced who the boy was. Most just knew him as the troublemaker, or the brat, many didn't give any consideration to his name.

The Nara's least of all. They didn't bother the boy, and the boy never bothered them. It was too tiresome to learn the child's name as it didn't seem important.

But based on Shikaku's response, it looked like it was important.

The man had a fire in his eyes that Fugaku hadn't seen many times before. He couldn't understand how the boy's name had such an effect on the man

The name Uzumaki brought up blanks in his memory… aside from a red haired girl that had liked to torment all of them in their academy days.

Kushina?

Yes, Kushina Uzumaki. She had become a capable Jonin, and even ended up marrying-

Fugaku didn't see the humour in his almost perfect mimic of the same noise that the Nara had made when he figured it out.

His mind was still wrapping around the concept that Minato, his dear friend, had used his own son for the sealing.

It had been an orphan. Hiruzen had told them it was an orphan!

'Of course he said that. Neither of his parents had survived the attack of the Kyuubi'

But…

Others in the room were piecing it together, slowly but surely they all began to talk and discuss with one another. Those that understood told their neighbour.

The clamour and noise reached a pinnacle and Fugaku aimed to break it.

His fist crashed into the table long before he realised he'd done it.

The loud bang attracted the attention of everyone around them, each of them staring at the Uchiha patriarch and the outburst he had made.

Many wondered what Fugaku had to say at all. While most weren't aware of how close he had been with the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze, many did know that the man refused to speak to others since the Kyuubi incident.

He attended meetings, and made appearances among the council, but both the village and the Uchiha seemed to be drifting away from one another.

"The boy is Minato's son, correct Hokage-sama?" the last word has some ice in it, but Fugaku didn't care for how the others frowned at his tone.

His eyes were fixed on Hiruzen solely.

The old man nodded once.

"Then I humbly request that you allow my clan to lead the search for the boy... or his corpse"

The bickering and calls started immediately, but Hiruzen cut through them with a burst of Chakra.

Fugaku had to hold back his smirk. The old man was slowly shifting out of his funk. After all, the Third had believed he had failed not only the legacy of the Fourth, but the man himself. He must have felt directly responsible for the capture of Naruto.

That was guilt in of itself, but Fugaku was willing to wager that a promise had also been made between the two Kage's. Probably around making sure Naruto would grow up well.

"Why?"

Fugaku straightened himself, looking the regal clan head he had been groomed to become.

"Because I owe many things to Minato Namikaze. My life, my family, and the protection of this village. I would be smearing the trust he held in my, and doing a disservice to the man I knew, if I were to abandon his _son_ to fate and chance"

It was at this moment, that the first of the burnt bridges between the Uchiha and the Village Hidden between the leaves, was restored.

In the years to come, many more would follow.

* * *

**And there it all is. If you'd like to read more, drop a follow, a review and a fav. P.M if you'd like to see anything specific. Either character wise, technology wise. This story is still a blank slate unlike my other projects, and if you the reader would be interested in anything I can see if it'll fit in.**

**Best of days,**

**Freedom.**


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